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Potentilla anserina ssp. pacifica

Silverweed

At a Glance: Low growing hairy herb with runners and solitary yellow flowers.

Height: Up to 16 inches (40 cm).
Growth Form: Herb.
Stems: Reddish runners.
Leaves: Basal, to 40 cm (16 inches) long, erect, pinnately compound with a mix of large and small leaflets that are woolly beneath.
Flowers: Petals yellow, oval, to 1.3 cm long; flowers single on leafless stalks to 20 cm (8 in) tall.
Flowering Period: May, June, July.
Fruits: Flattened oval achenes to 2 mm long.


Photo © 2004, Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: OBL (obligate wetland)	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

(data not available)

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: The Blackfoot of Alberta used the runners as ties for leggings and blankets.
Medicinal Uses: The roots were collected and boiled by the Haida, who drank the tea as a purgative. The roots mixed with other herbs were used for medicinal preparations. The Kwakwakawakw boiled the roots, mixed them with fish oil and applied them as a poultice. They also pressed the roots and applied the juice to inflamed eyes.
Food Uses: The roots were used as food by almost all of the coastal groups. Silverweed has two types of roots, short, curly roots near the surface, and long, fleshy taproots. These were dug and steamed to remove their bitter flavor. When cooked, they taste like sweet potatoes, but retain a slightly bitter flavor. Among the Nuu-chah-nulth, silverweed roots were second only to bracken rhizomes as a root vegetable. In Kwakwakawakw tradition, the men cooked silverweed roots at feasts. Layers of curly and long roots were steamed over hot rocks. The chiefs and high-ranking persons ate the long roots and the commoners ate the curly roots. Leftovers were taken home to the wives.
Name Info: The name silverweed refers to the silvery-gray appearance of the plant.
Interesting Facts: Silverweed patches were often owned by certain chiefs, especially among the Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwakawakw, and Haida.

Suggested References

Alden, P., D. Paulson. 1998. National Audubon Society, Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest. Chanticleer Press. Page 161.
Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 168.
Guard, B.J. 1995. Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 114.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 37.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 964.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 216.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 198.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 221.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 186.
Turner, N.AJ. 1975. Food Plants of British Columbia Indians: part 1, Coastal Peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Page 219.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.